


You've Marked My Heart [HIATUS]

by AngleJoyce



Category: The Dragon Prince (Cartoon)
Genre: Additional Warnings In Author's Note, Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Human, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Alternative Universe - Highschool, Angst, Denial of Feelings, Eventual Romance, F/M, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Just by a few years though, No Outline, Rating May Change, Secrets, Slow Burn, Soulmates, Trust Issues, Viren Is Still Bad
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-17
Updated: 2020-06-12
Packaged: 2021-02-28 20:53:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,935
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23363497
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AngleJoyce/pseuds/AngleJoyce
Summary: Callum's failing history classes and he doesn't have a soulmate. It's for the best to focus on his school right now instead of love, instead of finding out what's wrong with him, and maybe this Rayla (his new assigned tutor) is the solution for that.
Relationships: Callum/Rayla (The Dragon Prince)
Comments: 60
Kudos: 100





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First co-work story AND first story that's not Undertale! Woo! Me and Facy (copyrightcreep) will be working on this and editing will be done by me!
> 
> There's a few soulmate AU's mixed together. We won't spoil which ones yet, you'll have to read the story for that ^^
> 
> Also! Everyone's human in this story! I'm sorry if this makes you dislike the story, but our ideas wouldn't fit otherwise.
> 
> We hope you'll enjoy our story either way!

Callum had never expected to find his soulmate. Not because he wasn't interested in love, but because he didn't get a single sign of having a soulmate.

There were many ways someone could find their soulmate. A red string attached to your finger(s). Have the first words your soulmate says to you written on your left or right wrist when you turn 15. There were also situations where you and your soulmate get the same injuries or disfigurements appear on your body, so basically your injuries would be mirrored on your soulmate’s body. There's many things that show you have a soulmate.

And Callum... Well. He had none of that. And he had recently turned 17 (two days ago, in fact). By now he believed he'd never find his soulmate.

He thought relationships just weren’t in the cards for him. And also he didn’t really have much experience. He had been kissed once but it hadn't been pleasant.

He had a small crush on his best friend Claudia, but he would never admit that, ever. And also, it was obvious that she didn't reciprocate his feelings, so it made him feel and think even worse about love.

Plus, if you have a soulmate, you aren't allowed to have a romantic relationship or do romantic stuff with anyone else but your soulmate, even if you haven't met them yet.

And now he had pretty much just given up on love. He tried not to care about it any more, and some people saw him only more as a freak for that.

Sure, there were lots of aromantic people who did have a soulmate but in the platonic matter. They'd found their best friends for life. But those people still had a soulmate sign, or mark, or anything! Callum didn't have anything at all.

And people like that, well, they were called defects.

13% of the population didn't have soulmate signs or marks. And Callum was one of those people.

Even though love wasn't really his thing, maybe his grades would make up for it (let's just for a moment forget the fact that he was failing history and he had no idea how he was going to get his grade up). This was his (hopefully) final year on this school, if he passed his exams. He'd only be allowed to do these exams if he had all satisfying grades. After that he'd start at college. 

He knew that his little brother Ezran would go to this college for animal care after he finished highschool (Ezran was a first-year). He knew that his friend Claudia would go to a college for baking. And here he was, unsure about his future once again.

He wasn't so sure if he was going to pass this year. He just thought that history was boring. He didn’t understand why he would need to know about what someone had done 100 years ago. Maybe that’s why he could never focus on anything the teacher was saying.

A sigh left Callum's mouth. His eyes wandered down to the ground as he made his way through the busy halls of the school. He was too embarrassed to let ~~his father~~ _Harrow_ down, and was too ashamed to ask him for any help with the homework. Claudia was always too busy and he knew Ezran didn't have history class at his school. So even if Ezran wanted to help, he couldn't.

Callum entered the classroom and took seat at his desk.

Another day of school to sit through.

* * *

"Callum, could you come here for a moment?"

Callum blinked in surprise and stopped in his tracks for a bit. He was about to exit the room of his last class (history, ironically enough), and he was more than ready to just go home and sleep (maybe eat first). But no, his teacher wanted to talk to him. Sigh.

"Yes?" He made his way to the teacher's desk, and his teacher (Mr. Merkel) smiled at him. 

"Callum, I've noticed that your grade in history is dropping a lot. That's why I want to assign you a tutor who will help you with this subject, if you are open to that. It's another student, she also takes history classes, but she's in a different class. Her name is Rayla."

Callum blinked in surprise. "Wait, that's possible? That... That would be great!"

"Yes." The teacher smiled at Callum's optimism. "On one condition, that would be." When Callum nodded, the teacher continued.

"Well..." Merkel cleared his throat. "That would be that you help her with her English classes. Me, the principal and the English teacher have been talking about this, and we think it would be a great opportunity for the both of you. You are excellent in English and I am sure you will be able to help each other!"

And of course, Callum agreed to it. This was his only chance to better his grade. So if this was the only condition, he'd be up for it.

* * *

The next day, he made his way to the school's library after school hours. Mr. Merkel had told him that he arranged a meeting with Rayla for him, so here he was.

Callum arrived at the library and sat down at the center table, fishing his phone from his pocket to kill some time. 

After about five minutes later, Callum heard someone else walk in, and he looked up from his phone (he was playing Cow Evolution because why not), and he blinked. Had he seen her before..? 

The moment that the thought _"She's pretty"_ crossed Callum's mind he did everything in his power to forget about that as soon as it had come, his cheeks flushing slightly.

"Hey," the girl said as she came nearer. Callum got to his feet and smiled, although a bit awkward. 

"Hi! You're Rayla, right?" Callum stuck out his hand for a handshake, but it was completely ignored, so he let his arm fall to his side again.

"Yep," was all she said as she sat down at the table across of Callum. The boy swallowed, sitting down again. He noticed she had an accent, and weirdly enough it made him feel less nervous.

"So, uhm. How are you?" It was really all that came to Callum's mind right now.

"Listen, I'm not here to make friends. I just want to pass this stupid class, and I know you wanna pass yours too, so let's get to business alright?" It sounded as cold as ice and, not gonna lie, that kind of hurt Callum's feelings. 

Callum was silent for a moment, before he nodded slightly. When that happened something changed in the girl's eyes, but Callum pretended not to notice. He grabbed his study books and the girl did the same. 

Well... It was a start at least, right?

Maybe some day he and the girl could even become friends!

He stayed optimistic. He always tried to be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Facy's personal Tumblr: http://copyrightcreep.tumblr.com
> 
> Angle's personal Tumblr: http://anglejoyce.tumblr.com
> 
> Our shared Tumblr, specifically for updates and info about the story: https://angle-and-facy.tumblr.com/


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again!
> 
> A big thank you to everyone for the kudos, the comments, the reads and the support!! It really means a lot to us and helps us keep writing! 
> 
> We hope you enjoy the chapter!

Four days ago Callum had started the after school tutoring lessons with Rayla, but she still acted so cold towards him. It was like she didn't even try to be friendly. 

And so, Callum had made it his goal to become friends with her. Except he didn't have any idea how to do so.

So he asked the only person he knew would be able to help him.

* * *

It was Friday. Callum had just come home from the meeting with Rayla and he was exhausted. But more than exhaustion, he felt irritation. Annoyance. Some sadness.

Because no matter how hard he tried, Rayla acted cold towards him.

Callum let himself fall on the comfy chair in the living room, a deep sigh leaving him. 

"Hey Callum!" he heard his little brother call out from next to him. He opened his eyes, a smile coming to his face. Ezran was sitting on the couch, watching TV. 

"Hey little bro. How was school?" 

"It was fun! We had art class today and I drew a dragon, look!" Ezran pulled a piece of paper from his backpack that was on the ground next to him, and he handed it to Callum. Callum's eyebrows raised up. 

"Wow, this is pretty good!" he complimented as he handed the drawing back. 

"Thanks!" Ezran put the drawing back in his backpack. "I named him Zym! It's short for Azymondias! He's based on a Greek mythological dragon-like creature that's named Ladon!"

"That's really cool bro, nice work."

Callum hesitated for a moment, then spoke up. "Hey Ezran. How do you..become friends with someone who doesn't want to be friends? Or at least acts like that?" 

"Oh! You just- show them you want to be their friend, I guess? Show them you're there for them, and that they're definitely worth your time!" was Ezran's cheery response.

Callum sighed. "Yeah, well... She doesn't even want to talk to me - except if it's about school stuff and such."

Ezran smiled reassuringly. "Keep trying, maybe she'll understand that she can trust herself to be friends with you eventually."

Callum nodded, a smile reappearing on his face.

Yeah. He could do that.

* * *

It was Monday, and Callum did not like Mondays. 

Monday was the day they had PE. And it was the first class he had, too. Who even came up with the idea to have PE first thing after waking up and getting to school?

It's not that he didn't like PE, he just..sucked at it. And he was always tired when he arrived at school in the mornings. That didn't help either.

Callum was delighted when the PE teacher announced that the class was over and they were sent to the changing rooms to shower and get dressed.

* * *

After PE, Callum had two other classes (Math and English), and then he had a lunch break.

He sat at his usual table in the corner of the cafetaria and grabbed his lunch. Two turkey sandwiches and one apple for after school.

He looked up when Rayla sat down across of him. She started sitting with him two days after they started their tutoring lessons after school. It made Callum happy, despite the fact they didn't talk.

"Hey," he greeted her. She just smiled slightly and then grabbed her English book from her bag.

"Uhm, don't you have any lunch?" Callum wondered.

"I forgot it at home," Rayla simply said, continuing to read her book.

"Well, here." Callum held out one of his sandwiches to Rayla and she stared at him, staying silent. "We can share if you want."

Rayla hesitated, then took it from him, her cheeks getting a flush to them. "Uhm. Thanks. Are you sure--?"

"Of course!" The boy smiled widely. 

"Thanks," Rayla muttered quietly. 

They both ate in silence after that, but it wasn't an awkward silence.

Maybe they could be friends for real. That would be nice.

But he made a mistake. Unintentional, but it was made anyway.

* * *

The school day was over and Callum made his way over to the library to meet up with Rayla. He was actually kind of looking forward to it.

"Callum! Hey, Callum!" he suddenly heard from behind him. He turned around, and was pleasantly surprised to see Claudia catching up with him. 

He smiled immediately, unable to help it. She had that effect on him, always. "Hey Claudia! What's up?" 

"Welllll..." she started, "Last week the diner opened and you promised we would go there together! Soooo..would you want to go?"

"Right now?" he questioned. He shot a glance to the doors at the end of the hallway, the ones that led to the library. "I kind of--,"

"C'mon, it'll be fun!" Claudia insisted. She took one of Callum's hands and dragged him with her, laughing wholeheartedly. Callum couldn't help it and started laughing as well at that, letting himself get dragged out of school.

It turned out to be one of the most fun evenings he'd had so far and he was glad he hadn't rejected her.

Well, until the next day, after school.

Rayla was already sitting at the center table in the library, reading her study books. She looked focused, eyebrows furrowed. And she didn't reply when Callum sat down across of her and greeted her.

"Rayla?" Callum said, then.

"What do you want?" she spat at him. "Just get your books and let's get started."

Callum was shocked into silence for a moment. "What's the matter?" he asked after some time.

Rayla clenched her jaw, trying not to yell at the boy in front of her. 

"What's the matter?" she echoed. " _What's the matter?_ _Seriously?_ "

"Uh, wh--,"

"You didn't show up yesterday and didn't even let me know you wouldn't! And now you act like _nothing happened!_ " Her voice cracked and she shut up, clenching her jaw so hard her teeth started to hurt.

"Rayla, I'm sor--,"

"I waited in this room for an hour! _An hour_ , Callum! Hoping you'd show up! Hoping that, if you'd forgotten, you'd remember and show up!" She got to her feet, her eyes prickling with tears she didn't want to be there. So she blinked them away. "All of you are the same," she concluded, her voice quiet now. "...Do you even know how worried I was?"

Callum gaped at her, eyes wide and mouth slightly agape. "I..."

"Whatever." Rayla grabbed her school bag and made her way to the doors.

Callum knew if he let her go now that he'd never see her face again.

And he didn't want her to feel betrayed. He never wanted to make her or anyone else feel that way.

"Wait! Rayla!" He got to his feet and hurried after her, grabbing her by the wrist gently.

Rayla sneered, ripping her arm away from him. "What do you want?"

"I- I didn't mean to let you down like that! Please, let me explain?" he said hurriedly.

Rayla looked at him with teary eyes, she was visibly hurt. But she nodded anyway.

* * *

"So..that's what happened. I wanted to let you know but I don't have your phone number or email or- _anything_..and Clauds didn't really give me a chance to drop by real quick to let you know I couldn't come." Callum bit his bottom lip. "Not that I blame her, she didn't know. This was all on me."

Rayla nodded at Callum's explanation. She sighed, though softly. "I..might have exaggerated... I'm sorry."

"No! No, no, no, don't be sorry! You have every right to react that way! I... It was a dick move. I'm really sorry, Rayla. You don't have to, but I hope you can forgive me some day." Callum felt so guilty. He felt like an asshole. He wanted to be friends with Rayla but now he had done this--

Rayla smiled softly. "Callum, I've already forgiven you. It's okay," she said, interrupting his thoughts.

And Callum smiled widely. "Thank you."

But somewhere in his mind, Callum wondered if it was really okay. If they were really fine now.

He didn't know the answer to that but if it wasn't the case, he'd do everything in his power to make things right.

He wanted to be her friend no matter what. He just hoped that Rayla wanted that too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So the last part made me think of the part in the show itself where Callum tells Amaya that Rayla is a bloodthirsty elf and she's really hurt :')
> 
> \- Angle
> 
> ~~~~~
> 
> Facy's personal Tumblr: http://copyrightcreep.tumblr.com
> 
> Angle's personal Tumblr: http://anglejoyce.tumblr.com
> 
> Our shared Tumblr, specifically for updates and info about the story: https://angle-and-facy.tumblr.com/


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Rayla POV this time!
> 
> WE'RE SORRY FOR THE WAIT!! We both had a writing block agshdjkf 
> 
> We hope you enjoy the chapter, since it's a bit shorter than the previous ones.
> 
> Again, thank you all for the support, for the kudos and comments and reads!! The stats blows us away every time we look at this story 😁
> 
> **THERE IS SOME MILD LANGUAGE IN THIS CHAPTER**

When Rayla got home from school that day, she made herself a sandwich and went to her room. Her parents would both be at work 'till 10 or sometimes 11 o'clock, but she was used to that by now.

She and Callum, after their talk, had exchanged phone numbers. After that they studied for an hour. 

But now that she was alone, she started to overthink, going over everything that had happened in her head, about today and yesterday. 

* * *

_Rayla sat down at the big table in the library. As usual, Callum wasn't there yet. She sighed softly, grabbing her English book from her school bag and beginning to study, already._

_After 20 minutes or so, she put her book down, eyebrows furrowed. She wondered, maybe Callum had forgotten? Or maybe he had gotten detention and didn't have time to let her know? She decided to wait a bit longer._

_She put her earbuds in and decided to listen to some music as she continued to read in her English book._

_15 more minutes. Callum still hadn't shown up. By now the library was empty of other students. She started to think..maybe he didn't care any more. Maybe he didn't want to see her any more. Or maybe something had happened? Nah... He's fine._

_Right?_

"I'll wait 15 more minutes," _Rayla thought to herself._ _She didn't have any way of contacting him. Maybe she should have given him her phone number?_

_After waiting for another 15 minutes, Rayla came to the conclusion that Callum wouldn't show up any more. So she got to her feet, grabbed her stuff and left. She was still worried, but knew it was probably for nothing._

* * *

_"..All people are the same. You can't trust anyone, they will eventually just let you down,"_ Rayla thought to herself. _"They always do."_

She had enough experience by now to know that.

And now she still had that same mindset, even after she and Callum had "talked things out". Callum had let her down and it had broken the little trust she had in him. Even if it wasn't really his fault, he could have at least dropped by real quick to tell her that he couldn't make it that day.

She knew she probably jumped to conclusions way too fast but she just..didn't want to get hurt. Not again.

She used to be trusting, and a happy, jolly girl when she was younger. She used to show her emotions. She had many friends on who she could count on (or so she thought). But when she got bullied and eventually beaten up by some racist jerk (because she wasn't native American) they all just stood there and laughed at her. They had backstabbed her. 

And after that it kept happening. She got close to someone, and they let her fall. They betrayed her. Then they hurt her with the things she had trusted them with. They abused her, verbally, physically and emotionally-- her parents eventually sent her to another school. But the abuse didn't stop. Because of her background and, also, because she didn't have a soulmate. As if she wasn't unlucky enough.

She was probably too mean or untrusting to have a soulmate. It was her own fault. She just..didn't want to get close to someone again, she didn't want to let her guard down and get hurt, again.

It was probably for the best.

Rayla frowned, her hunger now gone, and she put her sandwich on the nightstand next to her bed, before she got up and went to take a shower. 

She undressed, but when she took off her hoodie, her eyes fell on her wrist and she gasped. She stumbled back, almost falling on the floor because of the shock. 

"What the fuck," she cursed. Her eyes were wide and upon her left wrist. There was a large, black mark. "Did Callum grab my wrist that hard? It's bruised!" She touched her wrist, prepared to feel pain, but to her surprise she didn't feel any pain at all.

"What..?" She pinched her wrist, then frowned. No pain at all.

She twisted her arm, looking at her wrist from different angles. It looked like..a handprint? 

She turned on the faucet and washed her wrist with the water, but the mark didn't go away. 

And then a realization hit her. Her eyes widened and she fell silent.

Was this..her soulmate mark?

Was... _Was Callum her soulmate?_

Rayla bit her bottom lip hard, so many thoughts going through her mind.

She had a soulmate!

But also...

She had a soulmate.

Years, people had called her freak, and a castout, and weird and fucked up and many other hurting things, and worse names than that. But they were all wrong.

Especially now about the soulmate related things.

She wasn't sure if she should be happy or sad about it. She was so confused. Flabbergasted. Shocked...

"I shouldn't tell Callum. At least, not yet," she concluded.

She didn't even have feelings for him yet, if ever. Would she even get those feelings for him? She had never felt any romantic attraction towards anyone, before.

"What am I supposed to do?!" she hissed. Looking down at her wrist again, she put her hand around her wrist, in the same way as Callum had grabbed her, covering the mark.

"No. No, no, no, this can't be happening," she murmured. She clenched her fists. She had makeup. She could cover it up.

Yeah.

Okay. 

She could make this work. Pretend like it never happened. And as long as she didn't touch Callum, he wouldn't get a mark either, right?

She hadn't known that soulmate marks like this exist, but now she did. She would have to do some research after her shower.

Rayla let out a deep sigh, trying to calm her racing heart and putting a hand on her chest. 

"Calm down," she told herself. "It'll be okay. Everything will be okay."

She would make sure things worked out the way she wanted them to. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, Rayla...
> 
> ~~~~~~~
> 
> Facy's personal Tumblr: http://copyrightcreep.tumblr.com
> 
> Angle's personal Tumblr: http://anglejoyce.tumblr.com
> 
> Our shared Tumblr, specifically for updates and info about the story: https://angle-and-facy.tumblr.com/


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy crisp!! We hit 700 hits! Aaa!!! Thank you all so much ;--; you have no idea how much it means to us when you leave a kudo or a comment or bookmark the story 💜🧡
> 
> Mod Angle made a quick drawing and posted it on our shared Tumblr account, it's Rayla's design! We might change it a bit in the future, if so then we of course will let you know ^^
> 
> You can find it here:
> 
> https://angle-and-facy.tumblr.com/post/617539032658903040
> 
> We hope you enjoy the chapter :)

So... It turned out that actually a lot of people had the same soulmate mark thingy as Rayla did! And she was happy with all of the info that she had found. Everything she had read was on one website and she was glad that they had all the info there possibly was.

A soulmate mark would only appear if you intentionally touched the other person. And once you shared a "true love's kiss" or whatchamacallit with your soulmate, the marks would disappear. Rayla sighed deeply at that.

She wasn't interested in love. She just wanted to finish her school and start with her college. Even if she didn't know yet what kind of college she wanted to go to.

It'd be a dream come true if it were to be something with athletics or animals. Maybe even music? Art??? She was open to anything.

Rayla closed her laptop, a frown on her face. She had never even expected to get a soulmate and this was just..so sudden. She didn't really know how to cope with this, how to handle this.

She heard her phone's jingle and blinked, before fishing it out of her pocket.

**Callum 9:43 PM**

_**Hey Rayla! Do you have plans for after school tomorrow?** _

Rayla blinked. Speak about the devil.

**You 9:44 PM**

_**Uhh nope. Why?** _

**Callum 9:44 PM**

_**Oh! No reason. I'll ask you about it tomorrow :)** _

**You 9:44 PM**

**_Alright_ **

****Callum 9:45 PM** **

_**Good night Rayla!** _

****You 9:45 PM** **

_**G'night Callum** _

Rayla rolled her eyes. _"He's so random sometimes,"_ she thought to herself. Her stomach grumbled and that was when she realized she hadn't eaten anything yet after she had come home from school. So she got to her feet and went downstairs to make herself some dinner. 

* * *

"Hey Rayla!" Callum called as he entered the library. Rayla looked up from her book, then smiled.

The school day had gone by real fast, and throughout the day, Rayla kept wondering what Callum was going to ask (he didn't yet want to tell her during their lunch break, which was a bit annoying, but she remained patient). She didn't like to admit it but she was a _very_ curious person.

"Hey," she said in return, before turning her attention back to her book.

"Soooo..." Callum started. Rayla looked up again, blinking.

"What?" 

Callum merely grinned. "So- you said you don't have any plans for today right?" When Rayla nodded, Callum went on. "So, uh... Would you maybe like to go see a movie with me? I mean- we're ahead of schedule! And it's good to take a break every now and then!"

Rayla looked at him, narrowing her eyes a bit. "You..want to go see a movie? With me?"

"Yeah!" Callum answered excitedly.

"Uh." Rayla bit her bottom lip, her right hand absentmindedly going around her left wrist. "Uhh, I don't think I have enough money," she tried. She just... She was nervous. It had been so long since she last hung out with someone, she didn't want to mess up. "Wait, I actually do have some money I think-- but I'm not really a movie person? I guess?"

"That's okay! If you don't have money, I can pay! I was planning on paying for the both of us anyway!" was Callum's response. 

Rayla felt her cheeks heat up and she hated that they did, out of habit tucking a loosened strand of hair behind her ear. Why and how was he so friendly and kind? 

"And- you can pick the movie! One you'll for sure like, so you won't be bored," Callum quickly added. He looked so happy and excited... How could she say no to that?

..so, with a soft sigh but a smile on her face, she said yes. 

* * *

She and Callum decided to go see an action movie together. Rayla _loved_ it, Callum..not so. But he still enjoyed it, and the time he and Rayla spent together. It was really fun.

After the movie it was already noon, so Rayla and Callum decided to go to a small diner and have dinner. They talked about the movie as they ate and often Rayla caught herself wanting to touch Callum's hand, or shoulder. If she liked someone or was fond of them, she would always show them that she liked them with affection; through hugs and holding someone's hand, patting their shoulder and such. It was hard not to, now.

But..she and Callum weren't that close yet. They had only known each other for a few weeks, now. She didn't want to cross Callum's line, nor did she want to do anything that might show Callum that Rayla was his soulmate.

When they had finished eating, they exited the diner and found out it was already dark outside. 

"Oh. It's that late already?" Rayla said to herself. Her eyes were drawn to the sky, going over the stars. She loved the night. The stars. The fresh air. The way it was so much calmer on the streets... She definitely preferred night over day.

"Time flies by when you're having fun!" Callum said, a grin on his face. "Hey, uh, Rayla, I really did have a lot of fun today. So, uhm, thank you for that."

Rayla felt her cheeks heat up, and unable to help it she smiled widely, her eyes going to Callum's. "Me too, Callum. Thank you, as well."

"Can I walk you home?" Callum then asked. "Nothing weird! I just - you know - wanna make sure you make it home safely."

The girl chuckled at that, before she nodded. "Dummy. Of course you can."

So Callum walked Rayla home, the both of them smiling. 

Callum told Rayla about stars and constellations, and Rayla kept listening, intrigued by how much Callum knew about it. Turned out Callum was really into astronomy and such, and even though he had so much to tell, it never bored Rayla - to her surprise. 

Before she knew it, Rayla was standing in front of her house with Callum, and she didn't want to admit it but she was a bit disappointed that they had gotten there so soon. "I guess we're here, huh?"

"Yeah..." Callum turned to Rayla, and before she knew it, Callum had taken her in a hug.

She wanted to hug him back, she really did. But instead she did nothing, just smile sadly. She couldn't..not yet.

She knew it was probably unfair to Callum, but she just..wasn't ready yet. She felt really guilty...

When Callum realized Rayla didn't hug back, he let go of her quickly, stumbling back a bit. "Oh- sorry- I didn't mean to- I hope I didn't cross your line? Sorry..!" Callum apologized quickly, scratching the back of his head nervously. "I- I won't do it again. I'm really sorry."

"No, it's okay! Really. It was just..unexpected. I'm, uh, not really a 'touchy' person, I guess? Either way- don't feel sorry. Everything's fine," Rayla said reassuringly. She smiled, and Callum smiled back, relieved he didn't cross her boundaries. "Thank you Callum. I had a great day."

"Me too. Thank you Rayla." He stepped back, adjusting his school bag on his shoulders. "I guess I'll be going home now. See you tomorrow!"

"Yeah, alright," Rayla said. "See you tomorrow." She watched him leave, not being able to wipe the smile off her face.

Maybe... Maybe making friends wasn't so bad after all. Not any more.

Callum wasn't like the people who had hurt her.

Rayla exhaled softly, and then made her way into her house, that smile not leaving her face for the rest of the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Facy's personal Tumblr: http://copyrightcreep.tumblr.com
> 
> Angle's personal Tumblr: http://anglejoyce.tumblr.com
> 
> Our shared Tumblr, specifically for updates and info about the story: https://angle-and-facy.tumblr.com/


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! So sorry for the wait x_x"
> 
> Before reading the chapter, mod Facy has something to say ^^
> 
> "Hey i know i don't say much but i do read every comment and all the kudos and reads mean so much to me thank you so much for everything everyone"
> 
> We can't believe we reached 1000 hits!! We didn't even think of reaching that, at least not so soon. Thank you all so much!

When Callum got home that night, he made his way upstairs and walked towards his room. Harrow was already asleep. He always went to bed around 10, because he had to get up early to go to his job.

A light coming from Ezran's room caught Callum's attention (Ezran always slept with his door open). He knocked on the door, then Ezran invited him in.

"Hey Ez," Callum greeted. He sat down next to Ezran, who put his book down. 

"Hi Callum! How was your date?" Ezran teased.

A slight blush made its way onto Callum's face. "It wasn't a date. We just hung out together."

"Riiiiight," Ezran said, a small smirk on his face. "Well, did you have fun?"

"Definitely," Callum said, smiling to himself. "Uh, anyway," he moved on, blushing again. "What were you reading?"

"Greek mythologies." Ezran showed his book to Callum with a grin. 

"You really like those huh?" 

"Yeah!" Ezran answered. "Anyway, I think I'm going to sleep now."

"Alright." Callum got to his feet and made his way towards the door. "G'night bro."

"Good night Callum." 

Callum smiled, then left the room, leaving the door ajar, before he went to his room to get ready for bed.

* * *

The next day, school went by slowly, as usual. The first lunch break Callum and Rayla sat together at lunch. They didn't talk much about yesterday, not because they didn't like it but because Callum was shy and Rayla just..well she didn't want to admit it but _maybeshefeltshytoo._

Not because they liked each other, _of course not_. But Callum's conversation with Ezran last night had made him think about it. And since Rayla knew Callum was her soulmate, she had a few mixed feelings about it. 

So, yeah. 

That's that.

When Callum walked into the school cafeteria during the second lunch break, he walked to the table he usually sat. A smile appeared on his face when he spotted Rayla already there.

“Hey Rayla!” Callum greeted.

"Hey," the girl greeted, smiling as well. Her eyes went to Callum's left, widening a bit. "Callum watch out--,” Rayla called.

Callum only had a split second to register her words before he bumped into someone. He made a small "oof" sounds and stumbled back.

“Uh-- Oh! Hey Claudia.” Callum's face lit up and Claudia smiled back at him. He picked up the book Claudia had dropped - she probably had been so caught up reading it that she didn't notice Callum in front of her.

"Hey Callum! How are--,"

  
_“Hey!_ Watch where you’re walking!" Rayla spoke loudly, now standing next to Callum.

A few people in the cafeteria turned to look at what was happening, then decided it wasn't that important and continued with what they were doing. But even if they didn't care, it made Callum feel nervous.

“And who are you?” Claudia asked, not intimidated by the other girl's attitude.

“His friend." Rayla was glaring at Claudia. "Who are you?” 

“Also his friend,” Claudia replied, getting a bit annoyed.

_"Well this is akward,"_ Callum thought to himself.

He hesitantly spoke up. “Rayla, this is Claudia. Claudia, meet Rayla."

Both of the girls glared at each other, and after a few seconds Callum cleared his throat. "U-uhm, let's sit down and have lunch? All of us?"

* * *

It didn't get less awkward. It was obvious that Rayla didn't like Claudia, and Claudia wasn't fond of Rayla either. And all of that because of the way they met?

Callum really didn't understand girls...

"Hey," Callum said as he walked in. 

Rayla looked up from her book. "Hey, what did you do?"

Callum had told Rayla he'd be a bit later today (he wouldn't make the same mistake as before). He hadn't told her why yet though, so of course she was curious.

"I had a small talk with Claudia, that's all."

* * *

_"Hey Claudia!" Callum had called out to Claudia. The girl stopped in her tracks and turned around, a smile coming to her face. She had been on her way home, but Callum would always come first._

  
_"Hey Callum!" she greeted._

  
_"Uhm. Can I talk to you?" Callum looked kind of..nervous?_

  
_"Yeah, of course! What's the matter?" she asked._

  
_"Well- I was just wondering- Why don’t you like Rayla?" he asked bluntly. He already feared her answer..._

  
_"She acts really cold towards you, and comes off as, I don't know, kinda mean- and isn't that what you told me two weeks ago, when you two met? ..You deserve better."_

  
_Oh. That was not what Callum had been expecting._

  
_"Well, I did, but she's not like that any more! She- she has been much kinder, and nicer, than when we first met," Callum defended._

  
_Claudia hesitated. "I don't know Callum... Are you sure?"_

  
_"Yes, I'm sure." Callum smiled. "And..well, you can't really judge her- you don't know her. At least not like I do."_

  
_"I just don't want you to get hurt, Callum," Claudia admitted._

_Callum smiled softly, taking one of Claudia's hands in both his own. "And I love that you care about me, but let me handle this okay?" He said it while hugging her, and Claudia hugged him back._

  
_"Fine, okay," she murmured. "But if she hurts you or your feelings, please tell me okay?"_

_Callum nodded, letting go of his friend, still smiling. "I will. Thank you Claudia."_

_She grinned softly and nodded. "Always."_

* * *

"So, how long have you and that Claudia girl been friends?" Rayla asked.

"Uh," Callum let out. "Uh, since we've been kids. Why?"

"Meh," Rayla said, flatly. She had a small frown on her face, one of her feet tapping almost impatiently on the floor.

"Why do you ask?" Callum wondered. Rayla's eyes went up from her book to Callum's eyes, then down to her book again. 

"Just wondering."

"Are you sure? It seems as if something's bothering you." 

Rayla glared at Callum for a small second. It wasn't an angry glare, just..a glare.

"I'm sure."

"But--,"

"Let's just forget I said anything, okay?" Rayla interrupted. Now she sounded kind of annoyed. 

Callum sighed, then nodded and dropped it for now.

Maybe she would tell him what's the matter some other day. He sure hoped so, he just wanted her to be okay. He wished Rayla would trust him enough.

But..you can't really trust someone after, what, almost three weeks? 

He had hoped some things would change, even if just a little bit, especially after yesterday. It had been so much fun!

Callum focused on the study book in his hands.

Unless Rayla wanted him to, he wasn't going to give up on this friendship. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If any of you have any ideas or suggestions, or things you'd like to see in this story, feel free to comment them below! No matter if you think they're weird, or confusing, or anything like that! We're open to anything, since we don't actually have an outline or a big plot, just small ideas we're trying to glue together 😅
> 
> ~~~~~~
> 
> Facy's personal Tumblr: http://copyrightcreep.tumblr.com
> 
> Angle's personal Tumblr: http://anglejoyce.tumblr.com
> 
> Our shared Tumblr, specifically for updates and info about the story: https://angle-and-facy.tumblr.com/


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